I HAD ANTICIPATED THAT WHEN THE WATER FINALLY CLEARED UP WE WOULD SEE THE OCEAN OVER FLOWING WITH FAMISHED FISH . WELL, THIS WEEK IT HAPPENED! RIGHT FROM THE START FROM A GOOD ROOSTERFISH BITE IN THE PARDIAS ISLAND, TO YELLOWFIN TUNA AT ISLA JICARON, TO DORADO FREE JUMPING AROUND THE BARGE IN THE SECAS ISLANDS, THE FISH WERE HERE AND THEY WERE HUNGRY!

OUR LINE UP OF CAPTAINS AND ANGLERS THIS WEEK INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING. CAPTAIN KILI, WHO WAS TRAINED BY CAPTAIN MACHO, FISHED WITH PAULO ROBERTO MUSSI, EDUARDO MUSSI AND ILSIOMAR BRAGHINI. CAPTAIN LUCHO WAS AT THE HELM FISHING WITH PAULO MARQUES AND GUSTAVO S. VAZUERO. CAPTAIN TOMMY WAS GUIDING LUIS CARLOS MOTTA, MIGUEL HADDAD, JOHNNY HOFFMANN AND REGINALDO SOUZA. CAPTAIN SERIGO WAS FISHING WITH THE GROUP LEADER, ROBERTO VERAS OF PESCADVENTURAS, ALONG WITH SAMI GHANDOUR AND RANDY CHIN. SAMI AND RANDY ARE THE OWNERS OF ANGLERS PRO SHOP WHICH I WILL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT LATER. IT WAS ANOTHER WEEK WHEN ANGLERS FROM BRAZIL HAD COME TO PANAMA TO EXPERIENCE WHAT HAS TO BE SOME OF THE BEST TOP WATER POPPER FISHING IN THE WORLD!

OUR ANGLERS WANTED TO CATCH YELLOWFIN TUNA THIS WEEK. THERE WERE A FEW TUNA TO BE CAUGHT NEAR MONTUOSA ISLAND BUT THE REAL "BITE" WAS FOUND SOUTH OF JICARON ISLAND. HERE OUR CAPTAINS ENCOUNTERED DEEP BLUE WATER AND FULL OF FEEDING YELLOWFIN TUNA. AFTER HOOKING A YELLOWFIN ON A POPPER, SAMI WAS ABLE TO BRING THE FISH TO GAFF IN LESS THAN 10 MINUTES. THIS BEING ONE OF TWELVE YELLOWFIN THEY CAUGHT TODAY ON POPPERS. BACK AT THE BARGE THE FISH WEIGHTED 146 POUNDS. RANDY WAS HOOKED INTO A FISH HE SWEARS WAS TWICE AS LARGE BUT WE WILL NEVER KNOW FOR SURE AS THE HOOKS PULLED. CAPTAIN KILI'S ANGLERS WERE ALSO SUCCESSFUL CATCHING YELLOWFIN ON LIVE BAIT. POPPERS WHERE FLYING, THE TUNA WERE JUMPING AND IT WAS A REAL TUNA "RODEO!"

THE GROUP FISHING WITH JOHNNY HOFFMAN HAD GREAT POPPING ACTION AT COIBA ISLAND NEAR PUNTA ANEGADA. THEY REPORTED CATCHING SEVEN CUBERA SNAPPERS AND A HUGE ROOSTERFISH, ALL ON POPPERS. THEN THEY CAUGHT JUST ABOUT EVERY SPECIES OF JACK THAT IS FOUND IN PANAMA.

CAPTAIN LUCHO'S ANGLERS HAD GOOD FISHING NEAR JICARITA ISLAND. HERE THEY LANDED 3 GOOD SIZED WAHOO, 3 CUBERA SNAPPERS, 4 MULLET SNAPPERS, 2 ROCK SNAPPERS, 1 BIG AMBERJACK, 3 YELLOWFIN TUNA, 1 HORSE EYE JACK, 1 BLUE JACK AND 1 JACK CREVALLE.

THAT ABOUT ROUNDS OUT THE REPORT FOR THIS WEEK. HERE IT IS THE LAST WEEK OF JUNE AND WE ARE HAVING SOME OF THE BEST POPPING AND JIGGING ACTION OF THE YEAR! THANKS TO ALL OF OUR ANGLERS FOR FISHING WITH PESCA PANAMA.

TIGHT LINES,
CAPTAIN JULIAN JAY GUSTIN

FISHING TIP OF THE WEEK: ANGLERS PRO SHOP, OWNED AND OPERATED BY FISHERMEN SAMI GHANDOUR AND ROBERTO CHIN IS LOCATED IN ONE OF THE MAJOR TRADING CENTERS OF THE WORLD, NEW YORK, NEW YORK. FROM HERE THEY IMPORT AND EXPORT THEIR FISHING TACKLE TO EVERY CORNER OF THE GLOBE. THESE TWO ANGLERS SPECIALIZE IN SELLING ONLY THE BEST POPPER AND JIGGING EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE. MUCH OF THE TACKLE THEY OFFER IS IMPORTED FROM JAPAN, WHERE POPPING IS HUGE. A LOT OF THE LURES AND RODS THEY OFFER ARE NOT AVAILABLE FROM ANY OTHER SOURCE IN THE U.S. I SUGGEST YOU LOOK AT THEIR WEB SITE, IT IS QUITE INTERESTING, AND IF YOU FIND SOMETHING YOU NEED OR HAVE ANY QUESTIONS GIVE THEM A CALL. THESE GUYS ARE DIALED IN WHEN IT COMES TO ANGLING WITH POPPERS AND JIGS.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: